- Gallery: Fatal school bus crash in Chesterfield
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A collision between a dump truck and a school bus in rural Chesterfield Township, Burlington County, Thursday morning left an 11-year-old girl dead and three others listed in critical condition in hospital, including apparently her two sisters.
Authorities did not immediately release the name of the victim, saying all of the elementary school student's family had yet to be notified.
Township Police Chief Kyle Wilson would not confirm media reports that the girl who was fatally injured was one of triplets and the daughter of a state trooper.
But a former state police official told The Inquirer the father is Sgt. Anthony Tezsla, assigned to the statehouse in Trenton.
And later in the day, Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where the three gravely injured students were being treated, identified them as Sophie Tezsla and Natalie Teszla, both 11, and Jonathan Zdybel, also 11.
Ellen McHenry, superintendent of the Chesterfield Elementary School, said the school continued operating with grief counselors on hand to help.
"Today's events are obviously tragic for young children," she said, requesting news media to respect the privacy of families involved.
Parents at the School declined to speak to reporters during dismissal. One said her child didn't know about the crash and a school official asked reporters to stand out of earshot of the children.
Wilson said the there were 25 children on the bus, as it headed toward the school on Saddle Way about a mile away. Fifteen children suffered non-life-threatening injuries such as bumps, bruises and cuts, he said, and were treated at nearby hospitals.
"Our thoughts and prayers are extended to all the families involved," he said.
The drivers did not appear to have serious injuries, he said.
Wilson told a news conference that the truck - belonging to Herman's Trucking of Wrightstown - was traveling along Bordentown-Chesterfield Road (County Route 528) and the bus along Old York Road when the truck struck the bus on the driver's side at the intersection of the two roadways at 8:05 a.m.
The impact, toward the rear of the bus, sent the vehicle careening into a light pole.
There is a stop sign and a flashing red light on Old York Road here and a flashing amber light on 528, suggesting that the truck had right of way, Wilson said. But he said no charges had been filed pending an investigation.
Contact staff writer Darran Simon at 856-779-3829 or dsimon@phillynews.com or @darransimon on Twitter.
